Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Morgan Klimchuk had 83 points in 41 games for the Calgary Bisons bantam AAA team and was selected by Regina in the first round (fifth overall) the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft.

2010-11: Klimchuk made his WHL debut, skating in five games for the Regina Pats, and was the second-leading scorer of the Calgary Buffaloes in the Alberta midget AAA league. He had 1 assist and was minus-one in his stint with the Pats, who missed the WHL playoffs. He scored 27 goals with 23 assists and had 12 penalty minutes in 32 games for the Buffaloes during the regular season and was scoreless in two playoff contests. Klimchuk played for Team Alberta in the 2011 Canada Winter Games and scored 3 goals with 1 assist in six games.

2011-12: Klimchuk played 67 games for the Pats in his first full WHL season and skated for Canada Pacific in the 2012 U17 World Hockey Challenge. He was fourth on Regina with 18 goals and was plus-three with 18 assists and 27 penalty minutes. The Pats reached the playoffs after finishing fourth in the East Division. Klimchuk had1 assist and was minus-two with 2 penalty minutes in the five-game series with Moose Jaw. He scored 2 goals with 4 assists in five games at the WHC as Canada Pacific captured the bronze medal.

2012-13: Klimchuk was Regina’s second-leading scorer and played for Canada’s U18 team in the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial and 2013 World Junior Championship tournaments. He skated in all 72 games for the Pats, scoring 36 goals with 40 assists, and was minus-one with 20 penalty minutes. Regina missed the playoffs; finishing fifth in the East. Klimchuk won a pair of gold medals with Canada’s U18 team. He scored 1 goal with 6 penalty minutes in five games at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament and was tied for second with 8 points behind 2015 draft eligible Connor McDavid as Canada won the 2013 WJC title; defeating the USA, 3-2, in the gold medal game. Klimchuk was ranked 25th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Klimchuk signed a three-year entry-level contract with Calgary in December 2013 and made his pro hockey debut with Flames’ AHL affiliate Abbotsford in April following his third WHL season with Regina. He was -2 with no points and 4 penalty minutes in four regular season games with the Heat and did not play in any playoff games for Abbotsford. Klimchuk was the third-leading scorer for the Pats despite missing 15 games due to an early season abdominal injury — scoring 30 goals with 44 assists in 57 regular season games — and was +26 with 27 penalty minutes. Regina finished first in the East Division before being swept by Brandon in a first round playoff series. Klimchuk scored 3 goals with 2 assists and was -3 with 2 penalty minutes in four playoff games. He skated in two games for the WHL in the Subway Series against Russia.

2014-15: Klimchuk attended training camp with the Flames, suffering a wrist injury, before returning to Regina for his fourth WHL season. An assistant captain for the Pats and skated for the WHL all-stars in the Subway Series against Russia before being acquired by Brandon in exchange for 17-year-old Jesse Gabrielle in January 2015. Klimchuk scored 14 goals with 16 assists anew as +13 with 12 penalty minutes in 27 games for Regina prior to the trade. He scored 20 goals with 30 assists and was +26 with 12 penalty minutes in 33 regular season games for the East Division champion Wheat Kings. Brandon defeated Calgary to capture the Eastern Conference championship in the playoffs before falling to Kelowna in the WHL finals. Klimchuk scored 3 goals with 10 assists and was -2 with 2 penalty minutes in 13 playoff games, suffering an injury in the opening round against Edmonton that kept him out of six games. He had 1 assist and was -2 with no penalties in two games for the WHL all-stars against Russia.

Talent Analysis

Klimchuk is an offensive threat with excellent hockey sense and the ability to find the back of the net. Coaches laud his work ethic. He is a clutch goal scorer who has greatly improved his skating ability in junior hockey. Klimchuk can skillfully navigate attacking zone traffic while shooting well off either foot. The Alberta native also possesses an excellent leadership side to his game and has a strong winning attitude.

Future

Klimchuk wil challenge for a spot in the Flames' lineup as a 20-year-old but with Calgary suddenly fairly deep up front he could begin the 2015-16 season with new AHL affiliate Stockton. The Thunder are one of five California-based teams in the AHL's Pacific Division, which should make things easier for the Flames to keep track of their prospects. Long-term, Klimchuk is expected to be a a consistent scorer and second or third line forward at the NHL level.

Photo: Mark Jankowski will need to use his increased ice time to show why he was worthy of being selected 21st overall in 2012. (courtesy of Fred Kfoury/Icon Sportswire)

With a healthy squad and key new additions, the Calgary Flames have a promising group of prospects ready to start the 2014-15 season. The organization has addressed the shortage of certain positions with the recent draft picks, and prospects have accumulated over the past few seasons. One could even argue that the current group of young players that includes such forwards as Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Markus Granlund and now Sam Bennett could form one of the strongest units in team history.